Zoolander No. 2 can wait for Tightwad Tuesdays at the local cinema and Nicolas Sparks can go get funding for his eighth mansion built on tired formulaic hack writing from the suckers with no imagination. Over Valentine’s weekend we got a major HEART-on for DP. Grab some chimichangas and your favorite unicorn plush and join us in the pillow talk about the Merc with the Mouth.

I am a fan of the original book. You know, before the horde of the undead was added with the 2009 parody novel. Truth be told, I recently re-read the novel and remembered I wasn’t a big fan of this take on the classic Jane Austen tale. So, I wasn’t sure how exactly I was going to enjoy the film adaption.

As soon as the film started I immediately found myself unhappy… THIS wasn’t Pride & Prejudice… wait.. this ISN’T Pride & Prejudice. This is a parody… After telling myself that I was able to stop comparing it to it’s predecessor and actually enjoy it for what it was: a campy, bloody, and overall entertaining flick which delivered laughs, jump scares, and one hell of a sexy fight scene.

Zombies or not, Lily James is a superb Elizabeth Bennet. Regardless of if she is a strong-minded country girl or a highly-trained, zombie-killing warrior Elizabeth is a strong female character. She not only speaks her mind but she also does not allow anyone to bully her or make her submit to something she does not want. I felt this film and James stayed true to what Elizabeth Bennet is as a character. Plus the actress brought that little extra fierceness that made Bennet such a bad ass and believable as a warrior; all the while remaining charming and likeable. Actually, most of the women in this are portrayed as strong ladies capable of delivering a ass-whooping and less likely to come off as a damsel in distress. Hell, they even made Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, tougher than her romantic counterpart Mr. Bingley. At least that’s how it comes off the little we see him fight.

Additional Notes: While I didn’t personally find this flick all that scary, Pinkie Fluttershy did (She’s 7, remember). Lauren Cohan and Rupert Evans overall carry the film forward for the most part. My main problem was it was too slow for a horror flick. There wasn’t enough jump scares and the suspense they tried building would fizzle away because nothing was really happening… The doll didn’t do much besides sit there and look creepy, which is where most of the uneasiness came from… that fucking doll staring at you from the screen… *Spoiler* Anytime the doll did anything it was either Cohan’s character dreaming or it happened off screen… which then it was mostly relocating to another part of the room. There is a “twist” in the end but after awhile you most likely figure out what’s happening and then the movie is disappointing. At least for me.

Another issue was the lack of character building. While Cohan and Evans did do well, as I mentioned above, there wasn’t enough there to make me give two shits about them. *Spoiler* Especially Cohan’s character who went through some shit with an abusive boyfriend and miscarriage, and is trying to start over, but her past comes back to get her. When said past does come I didn’t feel emotionally invested enough to care.

Additional Notes: Bravo for Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, and DC Animated for delivering such an interesting take on three iconic characters. This is not the Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman you grew up with. Refreshing and beautifully dark. I really do hope we get more films featuring these characters or more comics. Either way, these characters have really captured my attention and I’m an instant fan of this take.